During the Victorian era in England, change was coming because of the new machinery and technology. It would open the world to a new future of the workforce and goods. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë is about Jane tangled up in messy situations concerning the workforce, her childhood, and marriage. As an audience, we see many themes such as marriage, class, appearance, and the role of women. In an era of women being suppressed Jane sought to seek a marriage with equality.

The character Jane is seen as independent, which caused the book to be very controversial of its time. Jane always wanted to stay true to her values and she does this by resisting Mr. Rochester and not becoming his mistress and because they aren’t on an equal level. We know Rochester doesn’t see women on an equal level because he says “that is my wife… such are the endearments which are to solace my leisure hours!… and this is what I wished to have… this young girl who stands so grave and quiet… look at the difference!” (125). He thinks women can be traded and compares the two like they are objects. Because of this Jane resists him which is highly unlikely in this society since women are seen as lower and to be obedient to men. It subverts gender roles because of Jane’s independence from such a man.

Rochester is already married to Bertha Mason who represents the woman of that time. An oppressed victim who is controlled by her husband and eventually turns ‘crazy’. He doesn’t consider women as his equal and tries to change Jane, so he can get what he wants. Rochester doesn’t care if Jane is uncomfortable with the fact that he’s married he is “meant, however, to be a bigamist” (123). Bigamy is the act of getting married when you are already married to another person. Jane denies him and does what she believes is right which subverts traditional gender roles. In all, Charlotte Brontë puts an independent woman in a society where a woman is dependent on a man. Because of this, we see how Jane challenges gender roles and rises above domineering men. She sets aside her wants for rights.

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